Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa Bk. 3 Pt. 1 eBook

Vaisampayana continued, “Thus addressed by Bhima,
king Yudhishthira the just, smelt the crown of that
son of Pandu, and pacifying him said, ’O mighty-armed
one, without doubt, thou wilt, assisted by the wielder
of the Gandiva, slay Suyodhana at the expiry
of the thirteenth year. But, O son of Pritha,
as for thy assertion, O Lord, the time is complete,
I cannot dare tell an untruth, for untruth is not
in me. O son of Kunti, without the help of fraud,
wilt thou kill the wicked and irrepressible Duryodhana,
with his allies.’

“While Yudhishthira the just, was speaking unto
Bhima thus, there came the great and illustrious Rishi
Vrihadaswa before them. And beholding that virtuous
ascetic before him, the righteous king worshipped him
according to the ordinance, with the offering of Madhuparka.
And when the ascetic was seated and refreshed, the
mighty-armed Yudhishthira sat by him, and looking
up at the former, addressed him thus in exceedingly
piteous accents:

“’O holy one, summoned by cunning gamblers
skilled at dice, I have been deprived of wealth and
kingdom through gambling. I am not an adept at
dice, and am unacquainted with deceit. Sinful
men, by unfair means, vanquished me at play.
They even brought into the public assembly my wife
dearer unto me than life itself. And defeating
me a second time, they have sent me to distressful
exile in this great forest, clad in deer skins.
At present I am leading a distressful life in the woods
in grief of heart. Those harsh and cruel speeches
they addressed me on the occasion of that gambling
match, and the words of my afflicted friends relating
to the match at dice and other subjects, are all stored
up in my remembrance. Recollecting them I pass
the whole night in (sleepless) anxiety. Deprived
also (of the company) of the illustrious wielder of
the Gandiva, on whom depend the lives of us all, I
am almost deprived of life. Oh, when shall I
see the sweet-speeched and large-hearted Vibhatsu
so full of kindness and activity, return to us, having
obtained all weapons? Is there a king on this
earth who is more unfortunate than myself? Hast
thou ever seen or heard of any such before? To
my thinking, there is no man more wretched than I
am.’

“Vrihadaswa said, ’O great king, O son
of Pandu, thou sayest, “There is no person more
miserable than I am.” O sinless monarch,
if thou wilt listen, I will relate unto thee the history
of a king more wretched than thyself.’”

Vaisampayana continued, “And thereupon the king
said unto the ascetic, ’O illustrious one, tell
me, I desire to hear the history of the king who had
fallen into such a condition.’